A new study published in Perspectives on Psychological
Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, describes
a theory explaining how the difference comes about: the root cause is that boys
are just more interested in technical things, like taking apart a bike, than
girls are.
Boys do better on tests of technical aptitude (for example,
mechanical aptitude tests) than girls. The same is true for adults.
Aptitude tests are used to predict how well people will do in
school and on jobs. These tests focus on particular skills or kinds of specific
aptitude, like verbal or technical aptitude. But the last few decades of
research have found that what really matters is general intelligence, not
specific aptitudes, says Frank Schmidt of the University of Iowa, author of the
new paper.
"The factors that are measured by the specific aptitude tests
independent of the general intelligence component in these tests don't make any
contribution to job performance." Smart people, researchers have found,
are able to learn the requirements of any job if they are motivated to. And
research shows that men and women do not differ, on average, in general
intelligence.
Technical aptitude measures are often used as a component of
general intelligence measures, so Schmidt wanted to know why women and men
score differently on technical aptitude in particular. He analyzed data from
the 10 subtest Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB, to look at
how men and women differed on the tests, including those on technical aptitude.
He found that at all intelligence levels women score lower on
technical aptitude than men at that intelligence level. Also, at all levels of
technical aptitude women had higher levels of general intelligence. So if
technical aptitude tests are used as part of a measure of general intelligence,
women could receive intelligence scores that are too low. That is, technical
aptitude tests may be biased indicators of general intelligence for girls and
women.
Schmidt presented a theory that posits that this difference stems
from sex differences in interest in technical pursuits, which leads people to
acquire technical experience, which in turn increases technical aptitude
scores. He presented evidence that among men technical experience does lead to
better scores on technical aptitude tests. To find out for sure, someone would
have to do a long-term study looking at whether early interests develop into
later aptitudes, as opposed to the opposite theory that aptitudes cause
interests. If his theory is right, it might be possible to narrow the gap in
technical aptitude by getting girls more interested in technical areas.
Interest should lead to aptitude. But that may not work, Schmidt says.
"The research shows it's very hard to change people's interests," he
says. "They're pretty stable and they form pretty early in life."
It's more important, he says, to make sure that the tests used to
measure general intelligence aren't using biased indicators. "That is
quite possible today. You can either not use technical aptitude tests or you
can use them and counterbalance them," he says, with tests that women tend
to do better on, like perceptual speed or some verbal tests.
Image Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/473118
Post a Comment